I was reading an article online the other day about a couple who were going vegetarian. Never fear, dear friends, that this will ever happen at our house. I will readily admit that we don't have to have meat every meal, but we would never give up a good steak or burger either.
This particular couple were gradually going vegetarian. HUH? What that meant was that they don't eat meat at home, but will eat meat at a restaurant or at a friend's house. Reasonable. I would also take that to mean that if they had a mean craving, they would also eat it at home, but they didn't say that because that would have changed the article from "becoming gradual vegetarians" to "we don't eat meat at every meal" and that just isn't as compelling.
The article did mention making a pasta sauce out of cauliflower and I was intrigued. Jerry and I made a cauliflower soup and, while we loved the flavor, we weren't crazy about the texture. I wondered if the pasta would help hide the grittiness of the cauliflower and there is only one way to find that out.
I didn't have a recipe, so if you want to make this, don't look for it in the list or in the cookbooks. I took a cauliflower and cut in into large chunks. I placed these into salted water along with a head of garlic cloves that had been peeled. I boiled these until the cauliflower was tender. I added a half stick of unsalted butter and mashed the beegeebies out of it with a potato masher (I am not a huge fan of the food mill). I added some sirachi sauce to taste and poured it over pasta. Top it with freshly grated cheese. It LOOKED like mac and cheese, but was a little spicy and healthier. LOVED IT!!!
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Wild Wednesday
March 10th - I took the cookbook to school with me. I thought I might be able to sneak a quick peek at it and grab the ingredients on the way home. That plan, at least, worked out well.
I decided on Crawfish and Pasta with Stir-Fried Vegetables. Jerry had purchased some frozen crawfish tails at Kroger and so I was feeling pretty confident about getting this dish made. Unfortunately, there were no frozen crawfish tails, but the recipe forgivingly said I could use shrimp. Shrimp...check. On to the produce aisle.
This recipe was so healthy, I thought I would shame myself serving it to my butter-loving family. I cheated, and cheated, and cheated. Everything except for the shrimp, pasta and mushrooms had to be julienne-cut. I purchased a ton of it already prepared for me. Shredded cabbage, julienne carrots were all I could buy pre-done. I then did the zucchini and celery myself. I skinned the tomatoes, seeded them and diced them. I coarsely chopped the onions and carefully quartered the mushrooms. The veg prep seemed to take forever, mainly because I had already spent what seemed like forever on my feet already.
The meal turned out great (LOVE it when you can slip turnips in undetected!!!). It was a strange mixture of Cajun flavor and Asian texture. It was pretty darn great heated up the next day at work too.
I decided on Crawfish and Pasta with Stir-Fried Vegetables. Jerry had purchased some frozen crawfish tails at Kroger and so I was feeling pretty confident about getting this dish made. Unfortunately, there were no frozen crawfish tails, but the recipe forgivingly said I could use shrimp. Shrimp...check. On to the produce aisle.
This recipe was so healthy, I thought I would shame myself serving it to my butter-loving family. I cheated, and cheated, and cheated. Everything except for the shrimp, pasta and mushrooms had to be julienne-cut. I purchased a ton of it already prepared for me. Shredded cabbage, julienne carrots were all I could buy pre-done. I then did the zucchini and celery myself. I skinned the tomatoes, seeded them and diced them. I coarsely chopped the onions and carefully quartered the mushrooms. The veg prep seemed to take forever, mainly because I had already spent what seemed like forever on my feet already.
The meal turned out great (LOVE it when you can slip turnips in undetected!!!). It was a strange mixture of Cajun flavor and Asian texture. It was pretty darn great heated up the next day at work too.
Catching Up
I am wondering if anyone is still out there reading. If you are, are you wondering if we are still eating? I haven't posted in so long that I am surprised that the authorities haven't shown up to see if we are still feeding our children.
To answer that question...yes, we are still eating. Not as well as we did during the holidays and perhaps the scales are grateful. Heck, I know the scales are grateful but would be more grateful if I would extend the normal eating routine for a longer period. It has been difficult to arrange a meal when the schedules around here are so crazy this semester. I have after school responsibilities four out of five days. Sometimes we have to eat early so Jerry can go to school. Some days we eat late because Jerry is just getting home from school. It is a nightmare of sorts. I am so looking forward to summer!
Here is what we have been up to:
January 26th - Jerry cooked the Honey-Glazed Tarragon Carrots as a side dish. I really didn't like them. They didn't have much flavor and the flavor they had I didn't like. They had, duh, honey and tarragon and lemon. Jerry has a dozen other recipes for carrots that I like better and I hope he reads this so he won't make these again.
January 29th - Redemption. We made the Shrimp Creole recipe from the Commander's Palace cookbook. It was really good and served over rice. The one thing it needed more of was the seafood seasoning. I have found that I really like julienne-cut veggies. Who knew? Something about the texture, maybe? Maybe that is why I like Chinese food so much. They use the julienne-cut often too, right? At any rate, this dish had Worcestershire sauce and Louisiana Red Hot sauce and so it had me at hello.
February 1st - I vividly remember making this meal. I thought, "I have never had corned beef before in my life." In Texas, we smoke brisket and eat it either as a roast sort of thing or do fajitas. What on earth was I getting myself into? I figured that no self-respecting person of distant Irish heritage could avoid it forever and so February 1st was my day of reckoning. Mother in heaven, this was one of my all time favorite dishes and I wish I could dance a jig and speak Gaelic so that I could eat it all the time. But I must say that I appreciate my dear sweet Cajun heritage, because it added the heat that made this meal absolutely unforgettable. I am absolutely giddy that St. Patrick's day is coming up so that I have an excuse to make this again and drink Guinness.
February 2nd - The weather was frightful during this time period and so I thought that chicken and dumplings would be good. I made the very fancy sounding "Stewed Hen with Buttermilk Herb Dumplings." Funny. Jerry said that they were the best dumplings he had ever eaten. The downside is that he still doesn't like dumplings. They were good, but I have to agree with him. Something about gooey bread clumps in a soup is just not as appealing as they were when I was six and at my Nana's house. However, the soup part of it was worth doing again, especially if I add the extra Creole meat seasoning!!!
February 3rd - A FLOP!!!! This is why I don't like doing this blog thing when I am back at work. I don't have time to spend on a dud of a meal. I need something that satisfies my soul and makes me drift off into a peaceful, full-bellied slumber. the Roast Tarragon Tangerine Chicken with Carrots and Shallots was not that meal. Granted, the tangerines were terrible...dry and tough. I know that it is winter and that asking for good quality citrus may be asking for a lot. No, heck no. This is 2010 and by golly, we have planes and fast boats, trucks and trains. Get me some produce that is ripe and edible. No, never mind. I won't make this recipe again. I think it reminded me of those Honey glazed citrus carrots too much.
February 4th - We go down...we come back up. Shrimp Victoria was absolutely delicious. We served it with the pasta option instead of the rice. Next time, we will go with the rice. It was a very quick meal to prepare with the mushrooms, onions, shrimp and cream. Yummy. I don't want this recipe to get too far in the back of the recipe file. It is absolutely wonderful to make during the week!
To answer that question...yes, we are still eating. Not as well as we did during the holidays and perhaps the scales are grateful. Heck, I know the scales are grateful but would be more grateful if I would extend the normal eating routine for a longer period. It has been difficult to arrange a meal when the schedules around here are so crazy this semester. I have after school responsibilities four out of five days. Sometimes we have to eat early so Jerry can go to school. Some days we eat late because Jerry is just getting home from school. It is a nightmare of sorts. I am so looking forward to summer!
Here is what we have been up to:
January 26th - Jerry cooked the Honey-Glazed Tarragon Carrots as a side dish. I really didn't like them. They didn't have much flavor and the flavor they had I didn't like. They had, duh, honey and tarragon and lemon. Jerry has a dozen other recipes for carrots that I like better and I hope he reads this so he won't make these again.
January 29th - Redemption. We made the Shrimp Creole recipe from the Commander's Palace cookbook. It was really good and served over rice. The one thing it needed more of was the seafood seasoning. I have found that I really like julienne-cut veggies. Who knew? Something about the texture, maybe? Maybe that is why I like Chinese food so much. They use the julienne-cut often too, right? At any rate, this dish had Worcestershire sauce and Louisiana Red Hot sauce and so it had me at hello.
February 1st - I vividly remember making this meal. I thought, "I have never had corned beef before in my life." In Texas, we smoke brisket and eat it either as a roast sort of thing or do fajitas. What on earth was I getting myself into? I figured that no self-respecting person of distant Irish heritage could avoid it forever and so February 1st was my day of reckoning. Mother in heaven, this was one of my all time favorite dishes and I wish I could dance a jig and speak Gaelic so that I could eat it all the time. But I must say that I appreciate my dear sweet Cajun heritage, because it added the heat that made this meal absolutely unforgettable. I am absolutely giddy that St. Patrick's day is coming up so that I have an excuse to make this again and drink Guinness.
February 2nd - The weather was frightful during this time period and so I thought that chicken and dumplings would be good. I made the very fancy sounding "Stewed Hen with Buttermilk Herb Dumplings." Funny. Jerry said that they were the best dumplings he had ever eaten. The downside is that he still doesn't like dumplings. They were good, but I have to agree with him. Something about gooey bread clumps in a soup is just not as appealing as they were when I was six and at my Nana's house. However, the soup part of it was worth doing again, especially if I add the extra Creole meat seasoning!!!
February 3rd - A FLOP!!!! This is why I don't like doing this blog thing when I am back at work. I don't have time to spend on a dud of a meal. I need something that satisfies my soul and makes me drift off into a peaceful, full-bellied slumber. the Roast Tarragon Tangerine Chicken with Carrots and Shallots was not that meal. Granted, the tangerines were terrible...dry and tough. I know that it is winter and that asking for good quality citrus may be asking for a lot. No, heck no. This is 2010 and by golly, we have planes and fast boats, trucks and trains. Get me some produce that is ripe and edible. No, never mind. I won't make this recipe again. I think it reminded me of those Honey glazed citrus carrots too much.
February 4th - We go down...we come back up. Shrimp Victoria was absolutely delicious. We served it with the pasta option instead of the rice. Next time, we will go with the rice. It was a very quick meal to prepare with the mushrooms, onions, shrimp and cream. Yummy. I don't want this recipe to get too far in the back of the recipe file. It is absolutely wonderful to make during the week!
Sunday, January 24, 2010
January 22nd
My poor husband has been planning all of these menus and doing the bulk of the shopping for them. I show up and he has already started slicing and dicing. That was the way it was after I went back to work and he was still on Christmas break. Now that he is back in full swing, things are more complicated. I thought I would let everyone know...just in case you were wondering how we were actually doing this whole cooking thing. Yeah, we were doing it because at first both of us were hanging out around the house and then we were doing it because Jerry was only working and not going to class. Now that both of us are back at full schedule, we are making some adjustments. One way to adjust it to suck more people into the madness and this is what I did on Friday.
I took the cookbooks to work on Friday. Before school started, I figured out who my target should be. Easy enough. Carol had already brought me a calendar of cooking classes and said we should cook together. She is commenting on this blog and really into new food. Target acquired.
I waltzed into Carol's classroom and made small talk for about a second and then plopped the books down onto a table and said that we needed to decide what was for dinner. We were off. The only requirement was that it needed to be pork, because Jacob had requested pork that morning. Yeah, the 8 year old has a preference...go figure. Carol and I nailed the menu down in record time and we parted eager to teach and then to cook.
The selections for Friday night were: Honey-Mustard tenderloin, Braised Asparagus with Peppers and Onions, Carol's Spoon Bread, and Fig Habanero Barbeque sauce. The tenderloin was very, very good. The cracked mustard seed and peppercorn crust was simple, but oh so flavorful. The cookbook recommended that we serve it with the fig habanero sauce. Carol was certain that the pork was wonderful without the sauce (she is the queen of snitching little pieces...maybe even better than me!), but I assured her that if the Commander's Palace recommended it, we needed to serve it that way. We were all so very glad that we did!!! The sauce complimented the pork and took it to new heights. So many flavors!!! Lucille and Carol think that the fig habanero sauce would be great on toast. It was that good.
Jerry and I like our pork cooked more than the medium/medium rare that the recipe called for. Carol agreed with the experts at Commander's Palace. I thought that the pork was wonderful (pink or not), but I really like pork more tender than the pan seared version we had this night. We are thinking about pan searing it to make the herb crust and then finishing it in the roaster. I will let you guys know what happens when we get around to circling back to this recipe.
The braised asparagus was good. It was really easy, but next time, we will take the lid off the pot so that the vegetables keep some texture. I bet I overcooked them, but still, they were almost boiled with the lid on the roaster. Better luck next time!
The spoon bread was really good. We let it sit too long, Carol said. This is again what happens when you have no idea when the meal will be ready and have to time things. I thought it was good and was really good with, you guessed it, the fig habanero sauce!
Eat something yummy!!!
PS
Carol reminded me that we also had garlic mashed potatoes. They were really great and very garlicky. I haven't figured out if I love or hate the food mill. It really is a pain to use, but every time I have used it, the results have been wonderful. I must confess that the potatoes had so much butter (2 sticks not counting the stick we fried the garlic in), sour cream (1 cup), and buttermilk (one and a half cups) that I don't think the potatoes were even necessary!
I took the cookbooks to work on Friday. Before school started, I figured out who my target should be. Easy enough. Carol had already brought me a calendar of cooking classes and said we should cook together. She is commenting on this blog and really into new food. Target acquired.
I waltzed into Carol's classroom and made small talk for about a second and then plopped the books down onto a table and said that we needed to decide what was for dinner. We were off. The only requirement was that it needed to be pork, because Jacob had requested pork that morning. Yeah, the 8 year old has a preference...go figure. Carol and I nailed the menu down in record time and we parted eager to teach and then to cook.
The selections for Friday night were: Honey-Mustard tenderloin, Braised Asparagus with Peppers and Onions, Carol's Spoon Bread, and Fig Habanero Barbeque sauce. The tenderloin was very, very good. The cracked mustard seed and peppercorn crust was simple, but oh so flavorful. The cookbook recommended that we serve it with the fig habanero sauce. Carol was certain that the pork was wonderful without the sauce (she is the queen of snitching little pieces...maybe even better than me!), but I assured her that if the Commander's Palace recommended it, we needed to serve it that way. We were all so very glad that we did!!! The sauce complimented the pork and took it to new heights. So many flavors!!! Lucille and Carol think that the fig habanero sauce would be great on toast. It was that good.
Jerry and I like our pork cooked more than the medium/medium rare that the recipe called for. Carol agreed with the experts at Commander's Palace. I thought that the pork was wonderful (pink or not), but I really like pork more tender than the pan seared version we had this night. We are thinking about pan searing it to make the herb crust and then finishing it in the roaster. I will let you guys know what happens when we get around to circling back to this recipe.
The braised asparagus was good. It was really easy, but next time, we will take the lid off the pot so that the vegetables keep some texture. I bet I overcooked them, but still, they were almost boiled with the lid on the roaster. Better luck next time!
The spoon bread was really good. We let it sit too long, Carol said. This is again what happens when you have no idea when the meal will be ready and have to time things. I thought it was good and was really good with, you guessed it, the fig habanero sauce!
Eat something yummy!!!
PS
Carol reminded me that we also had garlic mashed potatoes. They were really great and very garlicky. I haven't figured out if I love or hate the food mill. It really is a pain to use, but every time I have used it, the results have been wonderful. I must confess that the potatoes had so much butter (2 sticks not counting the stick we fried the garlic in), sour cream (1 cup), and buttermilk (one and a half cups) that I don't think the potatoes were even necessary!
I Do Love Chinese
Jerry is back in his PhD program and when a schedule is new, I have a hard time organizing myself around it. Dinner sometimes just can't be on the table and sometimes I don't want to get it onto the table. Most often, it is Jerry who rallies and does something amazing. When he isn't around, the amazing trick ends up being me calling for a delivery pizza or Chinese food. Luckily, everyone except for Jerry loves Chinese...except now that Jerry's mom and dad are around, I have to sort of add PaPa. I don't think he dislikes it as much as Jerry because he doesn't protest nearly as much and so he has to eat it whenever the rest of us get a hankering for General Tso's chicken and an egg roll. We ordered Chinese on Tuesday night and then had leftovers on Wednesday.
There wasn't enough Chinese to totally feed everyone because Jordan had wiped us out of General Tso's Chicken at lunch. General Tso's, of course, was the ONLY thing Jacob wanted to eat on Wednesday night. Jillian wanted fried pickles and I wanted a soup. Dinner was a bit of a hodgepodge, but everyone was fed.
I must tell about the soup. If you have read the book "Julia/Julie", you may remember the scene where Julie has had a bad day, stops at the store and just happens to purchase the ingredients for Julia's Leek and Potato Soup. Interestingly enough, I just happened to have the ingredients at home and so this is what I made. Simplicity itself is what Julia called it. I must agree. Lucille had never had leeks before and so when I described the soup as potato and onion soup, she was all about it. Jacob was still pouting about there being no General Tso's Chicken, but ended up drinking three little mugs of this soup. Lucille sheepishly had to admit to Jerry when he arrived that she might have eaten his portion of the soup. I am still pretty amazed that the soup was a hit and I am excited about the fact that I will be making it again and again. It was a perfect winter soup, but not in the traditional sense. It wasn't heavy, it wasn't dark, it didn't have savory chunks of anything in it, but it was smooth and warm and tasted like onions and potatoes and that is a very comforting combination.
Adding my new cookbook to the list today!!! Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. 1.
Eat something yummy!
There wasn't enough Chinese to totally feed everyone because Jordan had wiped us out of General Tso's Chicken at lunch. General Tso's, of course, was the ONLY thing Jacob wanted to eat on Wednesday night. Jillian wanted fried pickles and I wanted a soup. Dinner was a bit of a hodgepodge, but everyone was fed.
I must tell about the soup. If you have read the book "Julia/Julie", you may remember the scene where Julie has had a bad day, stops at the store and just happens to purchase the ingredients for Julia's Leek and Potato Soup. Interestingly enough, I just happened to have the ingredients at home and so this is what I made. Simplicity itself is what Julia called it. I must agree. Lucille had never had leeks before and so when I described the soup as potato and onion soup, she was all about it. Jacob was still pouting about there being no General Tso's Chicken, but ended up drinking three little mugs of this soup. Lucille sheepishly had to admit to Jerry when he arrived that she might have eaten his portion of the soup. I am still pretty amazed that the soup was a hit and I am excited about the fact that I will be making it again and again. It was a perfect winter soup, but not in the traditional sense. It wasn't heavy, it wasn't dark, it didn't have savory chunks of anything in it, but it was smooth and warm and tasted like onions and potatoes and that is a very comforting combination.
Adding my new cookbook to the list today!!! Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. 1.
Eat something yummy!
Saturday, January 23, 2010
January 18th
Jerry is starting to wonder if I am losing interest in the blogging. NO...I am not losing interest in the blog, but I am so full and sleepy after eating all the food! I can't see straight let alone sit down and write a blog entry. Hope everyone understands. I am one content gal!!!
January 15th was our last cooking episode. That was a Friday night. Saturday was spent in class, at BWW, and then at Capitol Ale House with a friend from Salem. (Hi, Kevin.) Sunday was a football day and so we just munched. Monday was a holiday and so we decided to do something BIG.
The menu was Shoestring Potato-Crusted Lyonnaise Fish, Roasted Vegetable Lasagna, Sesame Pepper-Crusted Tuna salad with an anchovy-garlic dressing. Maybe I haven't posted until now because this meal absolutely wore me out.
Jerry took care of the tuna salads. He was grilling outside, making the dressing inside, slicing the vegetables in preparation for the lasagna. He was everywhere and had a ton of dishes out.
I was completely stationary. I stood in place and grated raw potatoes for an eternity. The grated potatoes had to go into bowls (I had to use two bowls because none of mine were large enough to hold the potatoes and the water.) I washed and drained, washed and drained, until the water was clear. Then it was time to start getting the water OUT of the potatoes. Could have used some cheesecloth. Maybe next time. After the potatoes were happily awaiting their fate, I started making the lemon sauce for the fish. I was able to use fresh lemons from the tree in our foyer. Tell me that isn't a strange story. Garlic and lemons, white wine and peppercorns all in a saucepan being boiled into who knows what. Actually, the sauce was delightful. After boiling and stirring, everything except for the peppercorns disappear into the liquid. The fun part was whisking two sticks of butter into the mixture 4 TBSPs at a time. Strained and then kept warm for the little fishes. Yeah, you would have thought that I was finished...not exactly. I seasoned the flour for dredging and made an egg bath. Dipped the fish into each and then - get this - placed the potatoes on a work surface and put the fish on top. You then have to put more potatoes on top and then somehow get it all into a skillet. I found that Jerry's enormous grill spatula did the trick. It was sort of funny to be cooking what was essentially hashbrown covered fish.
While I was struggling with the fish, Jerry had moved on to the vegetable lasagna. The issue with this dish was the oven roasting that had to be done. He had three cookie sheets going and I had to slide out of the way every time he put something into the oven, checked the oven, or took something out of the oven. I didn't mind, but it did make for a very strange dance.
The outcome was well worth it. I can't tell you how fresh the lemon sauce was! We need to use smaller fillets next time. The roasted vegetable lasagna was amazing. The tuna was wonderful too, but we will try to keep it more rare next time.
Linda wanted to know how long these meals take to prepare. I couldn't even begin to let her know about this one. I will tell you that these dishes were wonderful and we will make them again and again, but never on the same night!
Eat something yummy!!
January 15th was our last cooking episode. That was a Friday night. Saturday was spent in class, at BWW, and then at Capitol Ale House with a friend from Salem. (Hi, Kevin.) Sunday was a football day and so we just munched. Monday was a holiday and so we decided to do something BIG.
The menu was Shoestring Potato-Crusted Lyonnaise Fish, Roasted Vegetable Lasagna, Sesame Pepper-Crusted Tuna salad with an anchovy-garlic dressing. Maybe I haven't posted until now because this meal absolutely wore me out.
Jerry took care of the tuna salads. He was grilling outside, making the dressing inside, slicing the vegetables in preparation for the lasagna. He was everywhere and had a ton of dishes out.
I was completely stationary. I stood in place and grated raw potatoes for an eternity. The grated potatoes had to go into bowls (I had to use two bowls because none of mine were large enough to hold the potatoes and the water.) I washed and drained, washed and drained, until the water was clear. Then it was time to start getting the water OUT of the potatoes. Could have used some cheesecloth. Maybe next time. After the potatoes were happily awaiting their fate, I started making the lemon sauce for the fish. I was able to use fresh lemons from the tree in our foyer. Tell me that isn't a strange story. Garlic and lemons, white wine and peppercorns all in a saucepan being boiled into who knows what. Actually, the sauce was delightful. After boiling and stirring, everything except for the peppercorns disappear into the liquid. The fun part was whisking two sticks of butter into the mixture 4 TBSPs at a time. Strained and then kept warm for the little fishes. Yeah, you would have thought that I was finished...not exactly. I seasoned the flour for dredging and made an egg bath. Dipped the fish into each and then - get this - placed the potatoes on a work surface and put the fish on top. You then have to put more potatoes on top and then somehow get it all into a skillet. I found that Jerry's enormous grill spatula did the trick. It was sort of funny to be cooking what was essentially hashbrown covered fish.
While I was struggling with the fish, Jerry had moved on to the vegetable lasagna. The issue with this dish was the oven roasting that had to be done. He had three cookie sheets going and I had to slide out of the way every time he put something into the oven, checked the oven, or took something out of the oven. I didn't mind, but it did make for a very strange dance.
The outcome was well worth it. I can't tell you how fresh the lemon sauce was! We need to use smaller fillets next time. The roasted vegetable lasagna was amazing. The tuna was wonderful too, but we will try to keep it more rare next time.
Linda wanted to know how long these meals take to prepare. I couldn't even begin to let her know about this one. I will tell you that these dishes were wonderful and we will make them again and again, but never on the same night!
Eat something yummy!!
Sunday, January 17, 2010
January 15th
Friday. You know it has been a week when a friend calls out of the blue and asks if they can come and drink beer at your house. Of course, you say yes and put an extra steak in the grocery cart just in case the remedy for the week should include additional nibbles of red meat, too.
Jerry and I were at Food Lion when that call came in. God bless our dear friend, Molly. She walked through the door as Jerry was trying to time his Steak Diane to be finished at the same time my corn fritters were going to be done. I love the Commander's Palace cookbooks, but they don't tell you how long a recipe is going to take. They say, "cook for 10 minutes," or "reduce by half, approximately ... minutes." They just don't say "A worn out teacher can complete this recipe in exactly 30 minutes provided that there are no small disasters, like their 8 year old coming in with broken glasses and a black eye due to being hit in the face at point blank range with a football." It was one of those kind of nights.
So when Molly came in, she started washing up dishes and asking what she could do to help. Jerry was quizzing me on how long I was going to be with the fritters. How was I supposed to know? Really? Molly got to/had to play sous chef and I told her to beat the egg whites to stiff peaks. She looked at me...and then she blinked. She started stirring sort of slowly and asked if she was getting them to stiff peak stage. "Not at that speed," I replied. She dissolved into giggles and kept repeating "Not at that speed" all night.
Molly is a funny girl. She is on Facebook and will talk about the blog on Facebook, but do you see her on here as one of the people following the blog? Nope. She was here one night when the order was given to "beat the hell out of it." I don't remember who said it, or what it was about, but it resonated with Molly and she repeated it on Facebook. She even said that she was a little disappointed that it didn't make the blog. Luckily, the phrase came to mind and when I told her that the egg whites were not going to change in consistency at that speed, I remembered, "Beat the hell out of it," and she laid into those egg whites. Stiff peaks in record time.
Jerry Burch makes the best steaks...hands down. We rarely ever go out for steak dinners because we know the best ones are had at home. My personal favorite is his blackened steak (rare in the center) with bleu cheese on top. Goes great with a glass of red wine. The Steak Diane may have replaced the blackened/bleu cheese steaks as my favorite. Lucille stepped out and said that Steak Diane was her new favorite. They were cooked inside had a great sauce topping them. I don't think that it was all that difficult to make them (he finished before I finished with those darned fritters). I hope he will make them again.
Now to the fritters. I sifted the dry ingredients. I made a well in the center and added the egg yolks and then milk. I was supposed to "stir" until thoroughly incorporated. Stir? I had to use my hands to mix it together. It looked like playdough or modeling clay. To this, I added the fresh corn kernels, chopped green onions, salt and pepper. Again, back to mushing it together with my hands. Sour cream...fold in egg whites. This just wasn't like any fritter batter I have ever seen or made. Oh, I forgot, "stir in diced butter"...REALLY???? now we are stirring in diced butter before frying in butter. We hit an all time low (or high if you are measuring cholesterol).
The steak was better than the fritters. The fritters were good, but I didn't just jump up and down over them. I think I will stick with my grandmother's recipe. As for the steak, Jerry can make them any time he wants!!!
Jerry and I were at Food Lion when that call came in. God bless our dear friend, Molly. She walked through the door as Jerry was trying to time his Steak Diane to be finished at the same time my corn fritters were going to be done. I love the Commander's Palace cookbooks, but they don't tell you how long a recipe is going to take. They say, "cook for 10 minutes," or "reduce by half, approximately ... minutes." They just don't say "A worn out teacher can complete this recipe in exactly 30 minutes provided that there are no small disasters, like their 8 year old coming in with broken glasses and a black eye due to being hit in the face at point blank range with a football." It was one of those kind of nights.
So when Molly came in, she started washing up dishes and asking what she could do to help. Jerry was quizzing me on how long I was going to be with the fritters. How was I supposed to know? Really? Molly got to/had to play sous chef and I told her to beat the egg whites to stiff peaks. She looked at me...and then she blinked. She started stirring sort of slowly and asked if she was getting them to stiff peak stage. "Not at that speed," I replied. She dissolved into giggles and kept repeating "Not at that speed" all night.
Molly is a funny girl. She is on Facebook and will talk about the blog on Facebook, but do you see her on here as one of the people following the blog? Nope. She was here one night when the order was given to "beat the hell out of it." I don't remember who said it, or what it was about, but it resonated with Molly and she repeated it on Facebook. She even said that she was a little disappointed that it didn't make the blog. Luckily, the phrase came to mind and when I told her that the egg whites were not going to change in consistency at that speed, I remembered, "Beat the hell out of it," and she laid into those egg whites. Stiff peaks in record time.
Jerry Burch makes the best steaks...hands down. We rarely ever go out for steak dinners because we know the best ones are had at home. My personal favorite is his blackened steak (rare in the center) with bleu cheese on top. Goes great with a glass of red wine. The Steak Diane may have replaced the blackened/bleu cheese steaks as my favorite. Lucille stepped out and said that Steak Diane was her new favorite. They were cooked inside had a great sauce topping them. I don't think that it was all that difficult to make them (he finished before I finished with those darned fritters). I hope he will make them again.
Now to the fritters. I sifted the dry ingredients. I made a well in the center and added the egg yolks and then milk. I was supposed to "stir" until thoroughly incorporated. Stir? I had to use my hands to mix it together. It looked like playdough or modeling clay. To this, I added the fresh corn kernels, chopped green onions, salt and pepper. Again, back to mushing it together with my hands. Sour cream...fold in egg whites. This just wasn't like any fritter batter I have ever seen or made. Oh, I forgot, "stir in diced butter"...REALLY???? now we are stirring in diced butter before frying in butter. We hit an all time low (or high if you are measuring cholesterol).
The steak was better than the fritters. The fritters were good, but I didn't just jump up and down over them. I think I will stick with my grandmother's recipe. As for the steak, Jerry can make them any time he wants!!!
Isn't it funny??
Wednesday, Jerry had to go to the Short Pump area for a meeting and he swung by Trader Joe's (one of the best stores on the planet) and grabbed dinner. We dined on pesto pizza and ate black bean soup with wild rice. He also purchased some Stilton with mango, goat cheese (which we love with white truffle oil spritzed on it), some pesto hummus and an eggplant tempanade spread. We weren't exactly slumming, you know?
I like to cook, but sometimes it is nice to just sit down and eat. Jerry commented that we hadn't eaten out since we returned from our Christmas trip to Disney. We enjoy food and we enjoy eating out and trying new things. This abstinence from the restaurant scene was probably some sort of record for us. Anyway, it got us to thinking and so I was not surprised when Jerry suggested that we go out on Thursday night.
This should certainly prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that we are not food snobs. Were did we go after a month of eating in and cooking like crazy people? Some fancy bistro? Some high dollar snooty overpriced joint? Of course not...Thursday is boneless wing night at Buffalo Wild Wings and that is where we headed.
There is news to the dining experience at BWW. I ALWAYS get Parmesan garlic and Caribbean jerk. Always. On this night I went wild and order Caribbean jerk and Asian zing. I now have a problem. I like all three sauces and I can't order all of them at once. I will have to develop a rotation schedule.
Isn't it funny that something so simple as a prepared soup or chicken wings can make you sigh and go all warm and fuzzy? Must be the company and just being able to enjoy those around the table.
Go eat something yummy!
I like to cook, but sometimes it is nice to just sit down and eat. Jerry commented that we hadn't eaten out since we returned from our Christmas trip to Disney. We enjoy food and we enjoy eating out and trying new things. This abstinence from the restaurant scene was probably some sort of record for us. Anyway, it got us to thinking and so I was not surprised when Jerry suggested that we go out on Thursday night.
This should certainly prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that we are not food snobs. Were did we go after a month of eating in and cooking like crazy people? Some fancy bistro? Some high dollar snooty overpriced joint? Of course not...Thursday is boneless wing night at Buffalo Wild Wings and that is where we headed.
There is news to the dining experience at BWW. I ALWAYS get Parmesan garlic and Caribbean jerk. Always. On this night I went wild and order Caribbean jerk and Asian zing. I now have a problem. I like all three sauces and I can't order all of them at once. I will have to develop a rotation schedule.
Isn't it funny that something so simple as a prepared soup or chicken wings can make you sigh and go all warm and fuzzy? Must be the company and just being able to enjoy those around the table.
Go eat something yummy!
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
John Took the GRE and We Cooked Chicken Pontalba
John took the GRE today and earned a qualifying score for the PhD program at VCU. Here we go!!!! Another educational adventure at the Burch house. I am so proud of him!
Chicken Pontalba. Jerry and I cooked it while Mama Mia was on tv. I don't think anyone was watching it, but the music will forever be associated with this dish. I was humming, dancing and couldn't help it. Maybe we should call this Chicken PontABBA.
Anyway, this dish was really, really good. It was very different from the other dishes we have cooked so far. The chicken breasts were dipped in melted butter and baked for 15 minutes. That was worrisome. I thought they would still be raw. They were perfect. While they cooked, we sauted mushrooms, ham chunks, garlic, and green onions. When they were done, we added the white wine and the fried diced potatoes. The fried potatoes added an interesting texture to the vegetable/ham saute. I forgot, actually I never realized I was supposed to, add the meat seasoning. I can tell you that I never missed it because the recipe called for a Bearnaise Sauce, which is a modified Hollandaise Sauce. This sauce has a lovely creamy texture and a tangy lemon flavor. It was perfect!!!
Chicken Pontalba. Jerry and I cooked it while Mama Mia was on tv. I don't think anyone was watching it, but the music will forever be associated with this dish. I was humming, dancing and couldn't help it. Maybe we should call this Chicken PontABBA.
Anyway, this dish was really, really good. It was very different from the other dishes we have cooked so far. The chicken breasts were dipped in melted butter and baked for 15 minutes. That was worrisome. I thought they would still be raw. They were perfect. While they cooked, we sauted mushrooms, ham chunks, garlic, and green onions. When they were done, we added the white wine and the fried diced potatoes. The fried potatoes added an interesting texture to the vegetable/ham saute. I forgot, actually I never realized I was supposed to, add the meat seasoning. I can tell you that I never missed it because the recipe called for a Bearnaise Sauce, which is a modified Hollandaise Sauce. This sauce has a lovely creamy texture and a tangy lemon flavor. It was perfect!!!
January 11th
We went sort of light today. Jerry made Shrimp Croustade and I made Creole Onion Soup.
The soup was NOT a French onion soup. I sauted the onions in butter, added a bit of flour and then then stock, wine, and sharp cheddar cheese. The soup tasted great, but I didn't like the long pieces of onions, so we will have to work on that. The color of the soup was weird too. I know it isn't French onion soup, but I would really like to cook the onions longer so that the soup has a darker color.
The Shrimp Croustade was amazing. Jerry bought mini puff pastry shells. Jumbo shrimp were on sale, so the shrimp didn't fit into the shells and he fixed this by cutting them in half. Worked well. The shrimp had an amazing flavor and I couldn't have been more pleased.
Oh, by the way, this meal was so quick and easy. Less than 30 minutes from door to table.
The soup was NOT a French onion soup. I sauted the onions in butter, added a bit of flour and then then stock, wine, and sharp cheddar cheese. The soup tasted great, but I didn't like the long pieces of onions, so we will have to work on that. The color of the soup was weird too. I know it isn't French onion soup, but I would really like to cook the onions longer so that the soup has a darker color.
The Shrimp Croustade was amazing. Jerry bought mini puff pastry shells. Jumbo shrimp were on sale, so the shrimp didn't fit into the shells and he fixed this by cutting them in half. Worked well. The shrimp had an amazing flavor and I couldn't have been more pleased.
Oh, by the way, this meal was so quick and easy. Less than 30 minutes from door to table.
Taking a Break...Cleaning Out the Frig...
Jerry, John, and Jordan left on Thursday to go to South Carolina to get some fresh pork. The refrigerator was so packed and I was so full, I decided to take a break and not cook for a few days. Thursday we ate left overs. Friday, Jacob, Jillian and I went to the mall and to the movies. On Saturday, Jerry cooked pork ribs for PaPa's birthday. I was able to make those Chocolate Molten Souffles. Bless PaPa for having great taste in chocolate desserts!!!
From the cookbooks, we made Creole Roasted Ratatouille. This was delicious. Oven roasted zucchini, eggplant, bell peppers, and garlic. Incredible. I did keep wishing for a mushroom. Next time, we may add a few.
From the cookbooks, we made Creole Roasted Ratatouille. This was delicious. Oven roasted zucchini, eggplant, bell peppers, and garlic. Incredible. I did keep wishing for a mushroom. Next time, we may add a few.
Soup and Salad, Day Two
On January 5th and 6th we had soup and salad. I am amazed that soup and salad meals can be so very different. The first meal was the red bean soup and the second was a lovely Crab and Corn Bisque with the Shrimp Salad #1.
The Crab and Corn Bisque got different reactions from Jerry and I. Initially, I thought it sounded great (I like corn in a soup). Jerry was a bit doubtful especially when then recipe only called for the corn to be cooked for a brief moment. As it turns out, the bisque was incredible. The soup itself was creamy. The crab was salty and yummy! I had to cut the kernels off of the cob and then make the stock by boiling the cobs. That was weird, but it was so great. The corn kernels were added at the very end of the cooking and then it was on the table. The corn added texture and crunch. It was fresh it was a soup we will make again.
The Shrimp Salad #1 was delicious. The REALLY big deal about this salad is the Remoulade Sauce. It was tangy. It was orange. It was great on the lettuce and on the shrimp. A couple of days later, I fried a jar and a half of pickles and we used the Remoulade sauce for dipping...heaven, absolutely heaven.
The Crab and Corn Bisque got different reactions from Jerry and I. Initially, I thought it sounded great (I like corn in a soup). Jerry was a bit doubtful especially when then recipe only called for the corn to be cooked for a brief moment. As it turns out, the bisque was incredible. The soup itself was creamy. The crab was salty and yummy! I had to cut the kernels off of the cob and then make the stock by boiling the cobs. That was weird, but it was so great. The corn kernels were added at the very end of the cooking and then it was on the table. The corn added texture and crunch. It was fresh it was a soup we will make again.
The Shrimp Salad #1 was delicious. The REALLY big deal about this salad is the Remoulade Sauce. It was tangy. It was orange. It was great on the lettuce and on the shrimp. A couple of days later, I fried a jar and a half of pickles and we used the Remoulade sauce for dipping...heaven, absolutely heaven.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
All things in moderation
First, let me announce that Lucille is going to be fine. We are all so thankful and are looking forward to having her at the dinner table again. (Seriously, sneaking food into the hospital is probably not something we can continue to do forever!) Thanks to everyone who called, brought flowers, and sent well wishes!
Tonight was a late night at work for me. Jerry ended up making dinner and had it ready and on the table when I walked through the door. It was a welcomed sight! We had a ham bone left over from our New Year's Day meal that I had thrown, with a lot of meat on it, into the freezer. He used this to make "Red Bean Soup" and served it with an incredible salad called "Commander's Salad." After all the rich food we have been eating, it was a great change of pace.
This morning when I was blogging about last night's meal, I realized that we have been eating too much new food. We needed a break and the meal tonight really provided that respite.
The Red Bean Soup was made with pinto beans (our favorite) and were perfectly seasoned. The recipe called for a pound of either smoked ham or andouille sausage. Because the ham bone had so much meat left on it, Jerry decided to just use that and the andouille sausage awaits another meal.
The Commander's Salad is a homemade dressing, but it is more than that. The recipe specifies mixed salad greens, crumbled crisp bacon, freshly grated Parmesan cheese and croutons. The dressing was good. It was pink. That was strange and cool at the same time. It wasn't nearly as tangy as the bleu cheese dressing from last night, but is was great all the same. In many ways, I actually preferred tonight's dressing. Maybe it is all the talk of clogged arteries, cardiac diets, and such that have me thinking healthy, but it made me feel a bit better to eat something that didn't just scream, "I am going to absolutely make your circulatory shut down." Sort of gave me a warm fuzzy, ya know? The fact that we had absolutely no dessert was a testament to the fact that (1) I wasn't home to help cook, and (2) we are going to have to change our ways.
I am pretty proud of the fact that I had a tiny salad and some tuna fish for lunch and then a bowl of bean soup and a salad for dinner. Jerry even recounted that he didn't use any butter or cream in the making of this meal. We haven't been able to say that in a while. Oh, and the red wine we sipped with our dinner helped flush out whatever may have been lurking. This may be sort of gross, but when my father-in-law tried to convince me that they had found a glob of either butter or garlic in Lucille's heart, I knew, deep down, that things needed to change. It has been fun, but we are going to have to cook a bit healthier.
This is going to be a challenge and I am certainly up for that. (Just don't expect me to ever give up that Chocolate Molten Souffle...it was the BEST!!!!)
Tonight was a late night at work for me. Jerry ended up making dinner and had it ready and on the table when I walked through the door. It was a welcomed sight! We had a ham bone left over from our New Year's Day meal that I had thrown, with a lot of meat on it, into the freezer. He used this to make "Red Bean Soup" and served it with an incredible salad called "Commander's Salad." After all the rich food we have been eating, it was a great change of pace.
This morning when I was blogging about last night's meal, I realized that we have been eating too much new food. We needed a break and the meal tonight really provided that respite.
The Red Bean Soup was made with pinto beans (our favorite) and were perfectly seasoned. The recipe called for a pound of either smoked ham or andouille sausage. Because the ham bone had so much meat left on it, Jerry decided to just use that and the andouille sausage awaits another meal.
The Commander's Salad is a homemade dressing, but it is more than that. The recipe specifies mixed salad greens, crumbled crisp bacon, freshly grated Parmesan cheese and croutons. The dressing was good. It was pink. That was strange and cool at the same time. It wasn't nearly as tangy as the bleu cheese dressing from last night, but is was great all the same. In many ways, I actually preferred tonight's dressing. Maybe it is all the talk of clogged arteries, cardiac diets, and such that have me thinking healthy, but it made me feel a bit better to eat something that didn't just scream, "I am going to absolutely make your circulatory shut down." Sort of gave me a warm fuzzy, ya know? The fact that we had absolutely no dessert was a testament to the fact that (1) I wasn't home to help cook, and (2) we are going to have to change our ways.
I am pretty proud of the fact that I had a tiny salad and some tuna fish for lunch and then a bowl of bean soup and a salad for dinner. Jerry even recounted that he didn't use any butter or cream in the making of this meal. We haven't been able to say that in a while. Oh, and the red wine we sipped with our dinner helped flush out whatever may have been lurking. This may be sort of gross, but when my father-in-law tried to convince me that they had found a glob of either butter or garlic in Lucille's heart, I knew, deep down, that things needed to change. It has been fun, but we are going to have to cook a bit healthier.
This is going to be a challenge and I am certainly up for that. (Just don't expect me to ever give up that Chocolate Molten Souffle...it was the BEST!!!!)
Smuggling in Souffles
I am back in school. The break is over and I am back in the classroom. I thought that I might have a breakdown at noon. I dismissed my students and I eagerly anticipated what culinary delights were waiting for me. As I locked my classroom door, I remembered that I was at work and that I was heading down to the school cafeteria for my meal. The vegetable soup wasn't bad, but the afternoon was spent in deep contemplation on what I would prepare when I got home.
Jerry was home in between his work and visiting his mom, Lucille, who is still in the hospital. He had time to select the menu and get the ingredients ready and away we went. He had already made a bleu cheese salad dressing. It was tangy and not as thick, creamy as store-bought dressings. It was fresh and it had a lot of bleu cheese in it. We love bleu cheese and I wonder if Jerry added a bit more to the jar than the recipe called for. (*Just asked him, and he says that he used exactly what the recipe called for. Evidently, there was a vinegar option and he used red wine vinegar.) Loved it. The dressing was great on a spinach salad with red onion!
Jerry also had a small pot on the burner when I got home. It was fragrant and at a rolling boil. He was reducing something and it smelled like heaven. He was in the process of making "Saute of Fresh Louisiana Crawfish" This recipe was for a crawfish rice and then a sauce to put over it. The sauce needed more thickening. It was, gasp, maybe too buttery and not really saucy enough. Great flavor and really pretty with the crawfish tails. We used frozen tail meat from Spain. Crawfish are best when you can purchase them live and sort all of the dead ones out before you cook them. Sometimes the people who are processing them don't really care and you end up with some that are mushy or just rancid. This product, purchased at Whole Food Market, was frozen. Wonderful!!!
Jerry had me on the hook for making "Oysters a la Mariniere." I should have taken French. I don't know what I am cooking half of the time. Oysters I get. The rest, not so much. The recipe called for me to put the oysters in a saucepan with some of the liquor and some white wine. Bring to a boil and add the green onions and parsley. Then you make this paste of butter and flour called beurre manie, and stir it in. It created this clear, thickish sauce out of the wine. It was wild. I was thrilled. The dish tasted like, well, oysters and it tasted very fresh.
I also made, drum roll please, Chocolate Molten Souffle. There is nothing better than taking chocolate, sugar, eggs and flour and creating heaven in your food processor. Just so you all know, if any major disaster happens in my life (birthdays, whatever) please make this for me. It will make everything better. The proof is that after sneaking one to Lucille in the hospital last night, she called this morning to say she was in a real room and out of the Critical Care Unit. Chocolate Molten Souffle did that.
Jerry was home in between his work and visiting his mom, Lucille, who is still in the hospital. He had time to select the menu and get the ingredients ready and away we went. He had already made a bleu cheese salad dressing. It was tangy and not as thick, creamy as store-bought dressings. It was fresh and it had a lot of bleu cheese in it. We love bleu cheese and I wonder if Jerry added a bit more to the jar than the recipe called for. (*Just asked him, and he says that he used exactly what the recipe called for. Evidently, there was a vinegar option and he used red wine vinegar.) Loved it. The dressing was great on a spinach salad with red onion!
Jerry also had a small pot on the burner when I got home. It was fragrant and at a rolling boil. He was reducing something and it smelled like heaven. He was in the process of making "Saute of Fresh Louisiana Crawfish" This recipe was for a crawfish rice and then a sauce to put over it. The sauce needed more thickening. It was, gasp, maybe too buttery and not really saucy enough. Great flavor and really pretty with the crawfish tails. We used frozen tail meat from Spain. Crawfish are best when you can purchase them live and sort all of the dead ones out before you cook them. Sometimes the people who are processing them don't really care and you end up with some that are mushy or just rancid. This product, purchased at Whole Food Market, was frozen. Wonderful!!!
Jerry had me on the hook for making "Oysters a la Mariniere." I should have taken French. I don't know what I am cooking half of the time. Oysters I get. The rest, not so much. The recipe called for me to put the oysters in a saucepan with some of the liquor and some white wine. Bring to a boil and add the green onions and parsley. Then you make this paste of butter and flour called beurre manie, and stir it in. It created this clear, thickish sauce out of the wine. It was wild. I was thrilled. The dish tasted like, well, oysters and it tasted very fresh.
I also made, drum roll please, Chocolate Molten Souffle. There is nothing better than taking chocolate, sugar, eggs and flour and creating heaven in your food processor. Just so you all know, if any major disaster happens in my life (birthdays, whatever) please make this for me. It will make everything better. The proof is that after sneaking one to Lucille in the hospital last night, she called this morning to say she was in a real room and out of the Critical Care Unit. Chocolate Molten Souffle did that.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
I Think My Cooking May Be Dangerous
Although the title of this blog is “Friends in Our Kitchen,” I am wondering if it should be “A Fiend in the Kitchen.” I was raised in Texas and, growing up, thought I was being raised in the South. After living in Georgia for a while, I now know the difference between Texas and the Deep South. In both places, however, ladies are not supposed to be ugly or mean. Killing people with kindness is the way to get things done.
I haven’t really ever thought of cooking as a weapon. This morning, my father-in-law called and woke us up. He and my mother-in-law were in an ambulance on the way to the emergency room. My dear mother-in-law was having a cardiac episode (what kind is still to be determined) and my first thought was that I had killed her with cream, butter, and eggs. My next thought was how I was going to continue this blog while cooking a cardiac healthy diet. I shouldn’t have worried…Lucille assured me while in the ER, that she was certain it was not the food, and if it was, “What a way to go!” I am feeling a little bit better.
Fortunately for my conscience, last night she wasn’t feeling up to coming over and so I was spared the guilt of having served her a very rich meal. Jerry and I selected Veal Tenders with Goat Cheese-Thyme Grits and Mushrooms and Royale of Leeks and Mushroom. I made the veal dish and Jerry made the Leeks and Mushrooms.
Both were wonderful, I thought. The morel mushrooms in the veal stock made an incredible sauce over the sautéed leeks, mushrooms, and onions. The grits were sort of scary. I thought they were going to be too soupy, but they seemed to become more firm as they cooled in the pan. I wish that the veal had been a bit more browned, and next time, I will make sure that it is. It just seemed to be more appetizing. The dish was constructed by making a small mound of the grits. Make a small well and place in the well the sautéed vegetables. Place two small medallions of veal on the grits and then drizzle with the sauce. This was a really pretty dish.
The Royal of Leeks and Mushrooms were really good. They were baked in a ramekin and then inverted and plated. They tasted, to me, like an omelet in a ramekin. I liked them very much. Next time, if we make both of these dishes together, I will make certain that I liberally top both dishes with the sauce. It was tasty!
Because Lucille is still in the hospital, we didn’t make big plans for dinner tonight. In fact, we went shopping without a menu and this is a very bad way to go about doing business. I bought leeks and potatoes. I thought for tonight, I could make Julia Child’s leek and potato soup. I read the menu again when I got home and realized that the soup needs to be chilled. No freaking way! It is 30 degrees outside. The wind is howling. I do not want chilled soup. Luckily, Jerry picked up some steaks (and whipping cream, because we don't seem to be able to get through a meal without it) and so tonight we ended up with Pan Seared Crusted Sirloin Steak with Cayenne Butter and Lyonnaise Potatoes. First, let me say that the recipe for the cayenne butter called for two TABLESPOONS of cayenne pepper and 20 cloves of garlic. If you don’t like spicy and garlic, this is not the recipe for you. The steak was delicious. I overcooked it. (Evidently, the recipe wanted thicker cuts of meat.) The flavor was delicious. The potatoes where thrice cooked potatoes. I was supposed to dump four cups of oil into a deep skillet to fry the already baked and cooled potatoes. Instead, I cleaned my deep fryer. The clean oil made sure that the potatoes didn’t have a weird taste to them. After baking and frying the potatoes, the only step left was to sauté them with the already sautéed onions. It was a great dish…lots of interesting texture, and the cayenne butter went extremely well with this dish too.
I am going into butter and garlic shock. I guess I should go to bed and hope that there is enough toothpaste and mouthwash tomorrow morning!
Cook something great soon!
I haven’t really ever thought of cooking as a weapon. This morning, my father-in-law called and woke us up. He and my mother-in-law were in an ambulance on the way to the emergency room. My dear mother-in-law was having a cardiac episode (what kind is still to be determined) and my first thought was that I had killed her with cream, butter, and eggs. My next thought was how I was going to continue this blog while cooking a cardiac healthy diet. I shouldn’t have worried…Lucille assured me while in the ER, that she was certain it was not the food, and if it was, “What a way to go!” I am feeling a little bit better.
Fortunately for my conscience, last night she wasn’t feeling up to coming over and so I was spared the guilt of having served her a very rich meal. Jerry and I selected Veal Tenders with Goat Cheese-Thyme Grits and Mushrooms and Royale of Leeks and Mushroom. I made the veal dish and Jerry made the Leeks and Mushrooms.
Both were wonderful, I thought. The morel mushrooms in the veal stock made an incredible sauce over the sautéed leeks, mushrooms, and onions. The grits were sort of scary. I thought they were going to be too soupy, but they seemed to become more firm as they cooled in the pan. I wish that the veal had been a bit more browned, and next time, I will make sure that it is. It just seemed to be more appetizing. The dish was constructed by making a small mound of the grits. Make a small well and place in the well the sautéed vegetables. Place two small medallions of veal on the grits and then drizzle with the sauce. This was a really pretty dish.
The Royal of Leeks and Mushrooms were really good. They were baked in a ramekin and then inverted and plated. They tasted, to me, like an omelet in a ramekin. I liked them very much. Next time, if we make both of these dishes together, I will make certain that I liberally top both dishes with the sauce. It was tasty!
Because Lucille is still in the hospital, we didn’t make big plans for dinner tonight. In fact, we went shopping without a menu and this is a very bad way to go about doing business. I bought leeks and potatoes. I thought for tonight, I could make Julia Child’s leek and potato soup. I read the menu again when I got home and realized that the soup needs to be chilled. No freaking way! It is 30 degrees outside. The wind is howling. I do not want chilled soup. Luckily, Jerry picked up some steaks (and whipping cream, because we don't seem to be able to get through a meal without it) and so tonight we ended up with Pan Seared Crusted Sirloin Steak with Cayenne Butter and Lyonnaise Potatoes. First, let me say that the recipe for the cayenne butter called for two TABLESPOONS of cayenne pepper and 20 cloves of garlic. If you don’t like spicy and garlic, this is not the recipe for you. The steak was delicious. I overcooked it. (Evidently, the recipe wanted thicker cuts of meat.) The flavor was delicious. The potatoes where thrice cooked potatoes. I was supposed to dump four cups of oil into a deep skillet to fry the already baked and cooled potatoes. Instead, I cleaned my deep fryer. The clean oil made sure that the potatoes didn’t have a weird taste to them. After baking and frying the potatoes, the only step left was to sauté them with the already sautéed onions. It was a great dish…lots of interesting texture, and the cayenne butter went extremely well with this dish too.
I am going into butter and garlic shock. I guess I should go to bed and hope that there is enough toothpaste and mouthwash tomorrow morning!
Cook something great soon!
Saturday, January 2, 2010
New Year's Day
If New Year’s Eve was Dick Clark and Times Square on television, then New Year’s Day was characterized by 1. The Rose Bowl Parade, 2. Football, 3. Taking down the Christmas tree, and 4. Eating black-eyed peas for good luck.
This year, I missed the parade (I was scoping out recipes!) I didn’t get the tree down. I watched some football. I also ate black-eyed peas. Three out of four New Year’s Day traditions maintained. Not too bad!
The actual news flash is this: for the first time ever, I actually enjoyed the peas. Seriously, I have managed (just barely) to swallow and keep those nasty, dirt tasting things down year after year. My grandmother was not thrilled when a few years ago I absolutely refused to eat another one. “What about for good luck?” she asked. Seriously, what is lucky about being forced to eat something revolting every year? Nope, I was done with the black-eyed pea tradition. (*Remember that traditions are old because they are good and not necessarily good because they are old.)
I got a bit of a queasy feeling yesterday morning when Jerry suggested the traditional New Year’s Day meal from the Commander’s Kitchen cookbook. (That may have been the reason why I was making Brandy Flips in the middle of the afternoon. But really, how could a concoction of brandy and raw eggs ever make the peas better, I ask you?) The ham sounded great. I love cabbage, so that was no problem either. Ah, but the peas? Seriously, there must be a conspiracy to make me eat them. Is there a United Black-eyed Pea Growers Union? Will they begin dumping tons of them on my lawn if I publicly voice my dislike, no HATE, for the peas? Let them. I double-dog dare them.
You see, my wonderful husband did what no other person on the planet had been able to do. He made the peas edible. Better than edible. I had three servings. I ate, willingly, more peas last night than I have ever eaten in my life. I will be the luckiest girl all year long!!!
The meal was simple. Carl said it was a “very southern meal” and that “meals don’t get any more southern than this.” I guess he knows about southern meals, but there is a Yankee or two (distant, but there) in his family tree so I wonder if he is a trustworthy “authority” on Southern Cuisine (*love you, Carl!). Honey Mustard Ham with Black-Eyed Peas and Cabbage was really incredible. You sauté the dried peas and cook them in the same pan with the ham, onions, celery, garlic, and bell peppers. This will knock your socks off.
Dessert was Bread Pudding Souffle with Whiskey Sauce. We bought new ramekins for the occasion. I loved it because it was very tasty, very pretty, and very easy. Gotta make this one too, friends. Jerry served the Irish Coffee with it. I preferred the coffee with the Crepes Souffle Praline. I think that the bread pudding was a bit sweeter than the crepes and so the coffee needed more sugar to balance it. Still, very, very good.
Happy New Year, indeed!
This year, I missed the parade (I was scoping out recipes!) I didn’t get the tree down. I watched some football. I also ate black-eyed peas. Three out of four New Year’s Day traditions maintained. Not too bad!
The actual news flash is this: for the first time ever, I actually enjoyed the peas. Seriously, I have managed (just barely) to swallow and keep those nasty, dirt tasting things down year after year. My grandmother was not thrilled when a few years ago I absolutely refused to eat another one. “What about for good luck?” she asked. Seriously, what is lucky about being forced to eat something revolting every year? Nope, I was done with the black-eyed pea tradition. (*Remember that traditions are old because they are good and not necessarily good because they are old.)
I got a bit of a queasy feeling yesterday morning when Jerry suggested the traditional New Year’s Day meal from the Commander’s Kitchen cookbook. (That may have been the reason why I was making Brandy Flips in the middle of the afternoon. But really, how could a concoction of brandy and raw eggs ever make the peas better, I ask you?) The ham sounded great. I love cabbage, so that was no problem either. Ah, but the peas? Seriously, there must be a conspiracy to make me eat them. Is there a United Black-eyed Pea Growers Union? Will they begin dumping tons of them on my lawn if I publicly voice my dislike, no HATE, for the peas? Let them. I double-dog dare them.
You see, my wonderful husband did what no other person on the planet had been able to do. He made the peas edible. Better than edible. I had three servings. I ate, willingly, more peas last night than I have ever eaten in my life. I will be the luckiest girl all year long!!!
The meal was simple. Carl said it was a “very southern meal” and that “meals don’t get any more southern than this.” I guess he knows about southern meals, but there is a Yankee or two (distant, but there) in his family tree so I wonder if he is a trustworthy “authority” on Southern Cuisine (*love you, Carl!). Honey Mustard Ham with Black-Eyed Peas and Cabbage was really incredible. You sauté the dried peas and cook them in the same pan with the ham, onions, celery, garlic, and bell peppers. This will knock your socks off.
Dessert was Bread Pudding Souffle with Whiskey Sauce. We bought new ramekins for the occasion. I loved it because it was very tasty, very pretty, and very easy. Gotta make this one too, friends. Jerry served the Irish Coffee with it. I preferred the coffee with the Crepes Souffle Praline. I think that the bread pudding was a bit sweeter than the crepes and so the coffee needed more sugar to balance it. Still, very, very good.
Happy New Year, indeed!
Friday, January 1, 2010
New Year's Eve
I haven't really been much of a New Year's Eve party kind of girl. I can't remember ever "going out" for the night. I do remember staying at home and watching Dick Clark and fighting to stay awake for the Times Square ball to drop.
Last year, we hosted a murder mystery dinner and that was fun. We wanted to do it again, but it was just too much to get organized. I think that was a blessing because instead, we got together and visited. Joe B. told me that last year was fun, but that he enjoyed being able to catch up with everyone. I completely agree with him.
Visiting is only enhanced when nibbling on something yummy. Last night, we made five new recipes, but I feel like I was sort of cheating as one dish was actually three recipes.
Oysters en Brochette was...let's say, interesting. I found this recipe and thought "okay, how hard can this be? Oysters, wrapped in bacon, and then fried. Simple." Wrong. That part was easy, but the recipe called for me to prepare Creole meuniere sauce first. Again, not a big deal. Turn to page 190. Creole menuiere called for one cup of brown sauce. Turn to page 193. This was the problem. Brown sauce called for beef stock (page 192), but I used store bought. I was already on the hook for simmering two fresh beef marrow bones for 1 hour and fifteen minutes. I made this sauce. It called for a roux. Jerry made it while I tried to strain the onions and such out of the bone marrow soup. Made the "Brown Sauce" and was okay with it. Couldn't make the Creole menuiere sauce because it could only be "held" for 45 minutes. Began to wrap the oysters in bacon. This was like pinning a wave on the sand. Slimy oysters wrapped in greasy bacon and held together with a toothpick are a hit or miss proposition. I worried that they would fall apart, but none of them did (even the ones that were badly done!). Dredged in flour and fried. They were incredible. The sauce, Jerry made while I was frying the oysters, was interesting and it was good, but it was decidedly not worth the time, energy, or effort. Not enough bang for our buck. We will be trying other sauces with this dish, but we will certainly be making it again.
The Jambalaya was really good. Jerry made it start to finish with me only sauteing while he continued to chop onions, celery, garlic and peppers. We learned that the new sauteure pan is PERFECT for this dish and so we think that paella will be wonderful in it as well. We also learned that we should NOT lift the lid when we are told not to. You would think that we would know this by now but evidently we don't. So, here in the public forum, Jerry and I both swear that we will never lift a lid when the recipe says not to. Honest.
Seriously, we did "check" on the rice and we think it caused the temp to drop below where it needed to be in order to completely and perfectly cook the rice. We remember a Bobby Flay episode where he lost a cook off because he did the same thing. The rice sort of cooks too much on the outside and not enough on the inside resulting in a weird combination of mushy/crunchy. Jerry salvaged it and there were no complaints. I wished for more spice, and should have sprinkled some Creole spice on it. I certainly will next time.
The last recipe was for Milk Punch. This is a New Orleans drink that is a tradition during the Mardi Gras parades. It was good...hints of vanilla. People liked it but didn't ask for seconds. Again, there were all sorts of beverages, and a milk based drink does tend to be a bit rich and heavy when eating. That could have been the issue, or it could have been because it was a mediocre beverage. Time will tell. I guess I will make a pitcher/thermos of it and take it to a Mardi Gras parade and see how things go!
Happy New Year!
Last year, we hosted a murder mystery dinner and that was fun. We wanted to do it again, but it was just too much to get organized. I think that was a blessing because instead, we got together and visited. Joe B. told me that last year was fun, but that he enjoyed being able to catch up with everyone. I completely agree with him.
Visiting is only enhanced when nibbling on something yummy. Last night, we made five new recipes, but I feel like I was sort of cheating as one dish was actually three recipes.
Oysters en Brochette was...let's say, interesting. I found this recipe and thought "okay, how hard can this be? Oysters, wrapped in bacon, and then fried. Simple." Wrong. That part was easy, but the recipe called for me to prepare Creole meuniere sauce first. Again, not a big deal. Turn to page 190. Creole menuiere called for one cup of brown sauce. Turn to page 193. This was the problem. Brown sauce called for beef stock (page 192), but I used store bought. I was already on the hook for simmering two fresh beef marrow bones for 1 hour and fifteen minutes. I made this sauce. It called for a roux. Jerry made it while I tried to strain the onions and such out of the bone marrow soup. Made the "Brown Sauce" and was okay with it. Couldn't make the Creole menuiere sauce because it could only be "held" for 45 minutes. Began to wrap the oysters in bacon. This was like pinning a wave on the sand. Slimy oysters wrapped in greasy bacon and held together with a toothpick are a hit or miss proposition. I worried that they would fall apart, but none of them did (even the ones that were badly done!). Dredged in flour and fried. They were incredible. The sauce, Jerry made while I was frying the oysters, was interesting and it was good, but it was decidedly not worth the time, energy, or effort. Not enough bang for our buck. We will be trying other sauces with this dish, but we will certainly be making it again.
The Jambalaya was really good. Jerry made it start to finish with me only sauteing while he continued to chop onions, celery, garlic and peppers. We learned that the new sauteure pan is PERFECT for this dish and so we think that paella will be wonderful in it as well. We also learned that we should NOT lift the lid when we are told not to. You would think that we would know this by now but evidently we don't. So, here in the public forum, Jerry and I both swear that we will never lift a lid when the recipe says not to. Honest.
Seriously, we did "check" on the rice and we think it caused the temp to drop below where it needed to be in order to completely and perfectly cook the rice. We remember a Bobby Flay episode where he lost a cook off because he did the same thing. The rice sort of cooks too much on the outside and not enough on the inside resulting in a weird combination of mushy/crunchy. Jerry salvaged it and there were no complaints. I wished for more spice, and should have sprinkled some Creole spice on it. I certainly will next time.
The last recipe was for Milk Punch. This is a New Orleans drink that is a tradition during the Mardi Gras parades. It was good...hints of vanilla. People liked it but didn't ask for seconds. Again, there were all sorts of beverages, and a milk based drink does tend to be a bit rich and heavy when eating. That could have been the issue, or it could have been because it was a mediocre beverage. Time will tell. I guess I will make a pitcher/thermos of it and take it to a Mardi Gras parade and see how things go!
Happy New Year!
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